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The Leper Colony
Readers will engage with this story of Andrew, a medical doctor in the period of the American Civil War. A saga of the doctor's journey from his first posting in pre-war Louisiana to his death in Maryland in the 1870s, the novel revolves around a fanciful form of leprosy called Cain's Leprosy, including the discovery of its causes and the development of a treatment regimen. The under-nurtured Andrew, a quick study in things scientific, is a slow study in things human and barely knows how to feel about anything, particularly in his personal relationships.
Andrew, fresh out of his residency, takes a post at a Louisiana leper colony, where a majority of the inmates have a rare form of the disease. The Civil War breaks out and Andrew is drafted into a Louisiana regiment. The War freaks havoc with the leprosarium and Andrew's career. This reluctant soldier and unlikely hero yearns to return to the only people he has ever bonded with to resume his search for a cure.
Andrew, fresh out of his residency, takes a post at a Louisiana leper colony, where a majority of the inmates have a rare form of the disease. The Civil War breaks out and Andrew is drafted into a Louisiana regiment. The War freaks havoc with the leprosarium and Andrew's career. This reluctant soldier and unlikely hero yearns to return to the only people he has ever bonded with to resume his search for a cure.
421 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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April 29, 2011
This was a novel well out of my normal wheelhouse of fantasy, horror, sci-fi, and the like. It follows the life of a doctor in the 1800s, and the circumstances that he finds himself in dealing with matters of history, like the War Between the States and the financial crash of 1876, while caring for and treating the titular leper colony in Louisiana. His pursuit is primarily focused on treating the (fictional) disease of Cain's Leprosy, where the afflicted bear scars similar to leprosy and are thus thrust into the squalid enforced camps and colonies of lepers, where freedom is denied to them.
The language is elegant and very evocative of the writings of that time, instead of trying to use modern vernacular to describe bygone things. The story and characters drew me in, and the real-world history that they were drawn into made the world a very vivid place. I didn't know what to expoect when I opened it up, but I was hooked from the start.
The language is elegant and very evocative of the writings of that time, instead of trying to use modern vernacular to describe bygone things. The story and characters drew me in, and the real-world history that they were drawn into made the world a very vivid place. I didn't know what to expoect when I opened it up, but I was hooked from the start.
Displaying 1 of 1 review